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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23519236">Moments in Time</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinyunderwater/pseuds/Shinyunderwater'>Shinyunderwater</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who (2005)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:02:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,967</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23519236</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinyunderwater/pseuds/Shinyunderwater</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor has a few precious memories he holds close when he needs to be reminded there is joy in the universe.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ninth Doctor &amp; Jack Harkness &amp; Rose Tyler, Tenth Doctor &amp; Martha Jones</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Salt</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've never written fluff before, and this may not even count. My first angst free fic. Just a nice happy moment shared by friends. Lemme know what you think. More to follow if you enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The whirring of the engines faded away and the Doctor turned from the controls to grin at Rose and Jack. He gave Jack an exasperated look when he saw the man was stuffing his face with crisps.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Wha? I picked them up on Earth." He swallowed and Rose put a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. "They make my mouth hurt, but in a good way, like that evening I spent with-"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Doctor held up his hand. "Thank you Jack, but we get the picture. And if it's salt you like, you're in luck." He grabbed the flaps of his leather jacket and leaned back, giving them a grin that made his big ears all the more pronounced. His eyes twinkled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Why? What's out there," Rose asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Doctor nodded his head towards the door and quirked his eyebrow upward. "Why don't you see for yourself," he taunted her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Rose beamed and ran to the doors. She threw them open and started to step outside, but Jack encircled her waist with his arm and yanked her back before her foot could leave the TARDIS. "Let's look before we leap next time, what do you think?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Rose looked outside and saw towers of gleaming white that reflected the sunlight with such intensity it hurt her eyes to look straight at them. Between the TARDIS and the towers was a wide expanse of ocean. The TARDIS was resting atop waters of deep dark blue, which the depths of could not be known.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A frigid wind blew into the TARDIS and Rose shivered. "It's freezing out there! I'd have caught my death if I went into that water, what were you thinking?!" She didn't sound mad, well she did, but the Doctor knew what she sounded like when her anger was real. She knew he was going to have some sort of clever explanation, and he knew she was excited to hear it. He didn't intend to disappoint.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He walked up to stand behind them and put a hand on both their shoulders. "Oh ye of little faith," he pronounced to them. "The oceans on this planet have the highest salt content possible while still remaining salt water instead of wet salt," he said with a chuckle. "And as you felt it is quite cold outside."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Meaning," Rose prompted with a smirk.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Meaning," the Doctor shoved Jack out of the TARDIS, who shouted a protest. By instinct Jack kept stepping forward to maintain his balance and not fall.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Rose gasped. "He's walking on water! Jack you're walking on water!" Rose ran out of the TARDIS after him, shrieking delighted laughter as she did.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Just remember to keep moving," the Doctor called out after her. "You'll sink in if you stop moving!"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jack was already learning this, and he shot the Doctor a dirty look as he began jogging back and forth in front of the TARDIS. "So how is the TARDIS floating there then," he demanded as Rose started running circles around him, both to stay afloat and keep her circulation going. It was quite cold.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Old girl can be light as a feather when she pleases," the Doctor explained.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jack scooped Rose off her feet on one of her passes and spun her in a circle. "You have roses on your cheeks Rose." He ran his thumb over a reddening cheek. "You're like to catch your death whether you get wet or not."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Right." The Doctor stepped outside and jogged in place while he locked up. "Time to get moving. Let's see the White City in all her glory. This is the heyday of this civilization, the peak of their artistic and technological advancement."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What happens after this," Rose asked as she twined her hand in his. She pulled Jack close as well, linking their arms and using both men as a windshield. "A war? An invasion?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Migration. The next ice age starts and people migrate to other planets. The White City empties. Frozen towers of salt preserved as a timeless monument to the people that built it."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Rose snuggled closer to the Doctor and picked up her pace, which both men matched with ease. She was getting colder. "Isn't there some old play about the White City," Jack asked. "It could be a different city though, not the most unique name in the universe after all."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"It's a new play now!" The Doctor oozed enthusiasm, and it warmed his companions more than any fire or central heating ever could. "It's one of the greatest romances of all time," he explained. "The story of the Queens of Winter and Summer, and how they can kiss but twice a year, and yearn for each other throughout all other days."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"That's so sad," Rose said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They stepped onto the shore. "We don't have to watch it if you don't want," the Doctor assured her. "There's plenty of other things to do. There's the Street of Fire where every sort of meat is roasted, and free samples given to passers by to warm them. There's the Hall of Furs, where we can find something warmer for you to wear if we're going to stay outside."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Why didn't we just grab something warm from the TARDIS again," Jack asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I didn't think about it," the Doctor admitted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I do want to see the play," Rose told him. "I want to see everything. It's all so beautiful."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Doctor stared at his companions, one shivering and pink, the other pulling her close to warm her, as blue as still waters. "It is," the Doctor agreed, not looking at the city. "It's very, very beautiful. And we haven't even gotten to the temple of the arts, where-"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Maybe we should stop talking about it and go see it," Jack said with a cheeky grin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh well lead the way Captain." Jack grabbed both their hands and, laughing, he complied, running to the blinding white towers while pulling the Doctor and Rose behind him.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Glass</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Doctor takes Martha to see a spectacular view.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I stole this hotel from Nancy Farmer's amazing book "The Ear, The Eye and The Arm" which had a profound affect on my childhood.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The Doctor rubbed his hands together and tapped his fingers while shifting his weight from foot to foot. Martha had never seen him look so nervous. "Are you alright? Are you feeling any side effects from your time as a human? I could look you over."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He glanced at her and then tore his eyes away. "I uh… I'm fine. We're uh…" He went over to the door but made no move to open it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Where are we," Martha prompted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We're uh… At a hotel. It's called the Mile-High MacIlwaine. Because it's…"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"A mile high?" Martha smiled at him and he once again glanced at her before averting his eyes. "What planet is it on?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh it's on Earth," he said. "It's in Zimbabwe."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Martha looked at him, trying to catch his eyes and make him look at her. "Really? We've never been to anywhere in Africa before."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You should go outside," the Doctor said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Martha gave him a confused look, but then she pushed the door open and stepped outside. Her feet landed on a carpet so soft she could feel the cushioning through her shoes, and her eyes landed on a wall made of glass through which she could see the glittering lights of a city a mile below. She gasped in amazement and took a tentative step forward. "It's so beautiful," she breathed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You like it?" He sounded relieved.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hang on." Martha examined the view with more scrutiny. "Are we… moving?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Ah yes. The building is so tall it sways in the wind," the Doctor said, adopting his lecturing tone. "Never fear, the architecture is perfectly sound. It's actually more stable this way than if it were rigid. It bends so it doesn't break you might say. Same concept applies to bridges."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Martha nodded. "Uh huh…"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"C'mon!" He grabbed her hand. "Let's go get some Sadza! Oh! Have you ever had crocodile?" The Doctor pulled Martha down the hallway to an elaborate archway with intricate animal motifs carved on it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In the next room Martha was struck first by the smells of strong spices and fragrant flowers. Next she was struck by the sight of a lot of people who looked very much like her, minus the chemically straightened hair. She felt a grin blooming on her face as for the first time in her life she entered a public place where she didn't feel outnumbered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Do you have a reservation," a man in a smart suit asked them with a pleasant smile on his face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No, sorry," Martha told him. "We just got into town, but we had to see your beautiful hotel."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No apologies are needed Miss. We will add your name to the list. While you wait for an available table you can explore our botanical garden or our aviary on the next floor." He handed her a buzzer to let her know when the table was ready. "What's the name?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, Jones. I'm Martha Jones."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The host continued to smile at her as he gave her directions to the gardens. He pointed her towards a staircase of glass slats sticking out from a thick wooden post to make a spiral staircase that glittered and shone in the candlelight as it rose. Martha grinned as she walked over to it and then grabbed the Doctor's hand before running up the steps.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He laughed as he followed her. It wasn't a long climb. At the top was a long glass hallway. To the left Martha could see plants through the transparent walls, and to the right she saw birds flapping around behind the glass barriers. "Which way?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh that's up to you entirely Miss Jones," the Doctor assured her. "Of course whatever we don't see now we can always see after dinner."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Martha squeezed his hand and she started towards the birds. She saw a large creature with a similar shape to a butterfly, but transparent as though made of glass. It had been impossible to see while it rested on the glass wall, but when it landed on a tree Martha caught a glimpse of it. Martha gasped in delight as she walked over to it. "This doesn't look like anything from Earth."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Glass butterflies," the Doctor said. "They were created in a lab. They're fantastic pollinators. They helped offset the effects of the declining honeybee population."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"And they're beautiful," Martha added.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes. They are also beautiful," he conceded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What year is this," Martha asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Early twenty-third century," the Doctor said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Martha considered that as she turned in a slow circle, taking in each and every one of the beautiful creatures before her. "So we're two hundred years after my time. It's not quite a short enough gap to be the near future, but it doesn't feel distant either. It's a time I would never see in the natural course of events, but that's also only just out of reach…" A huge grin bloomed across her face. "It's beautiful."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Doctor followed her eyes, looking at the things that she saw and trying to see them from her perspective. It was indeed all quite beautiful. "It's a gorgeous city," he agreed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Can we see the rest of it? After dinner and the gardens and everything can we explore the rest of the city? Can we see it all?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded, beaming with excitement. "Miss Jones we'll explore the whole country."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She hugged him. He hugged her back, feeling some of his awkwardness and uncertainty melt away. Dealing with the family had been hard, and they had both suffered, but they were going to be alright. She forgave him. He knew what a precious gift forgiveness was and he wouldn't take it for granted. There was a whole universe to see, and he would show her all the beauty that could fit in it.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Reviews are even more beautiful than salt towers and dense oceans.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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